My last first nomination is
Theatrical Novel (aka A Dead Man's Memoir aka Black Snow) by Mikhail Bulgakov. This nomination harkens back to our very first month, when Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita won. I also like that this novel is about a ten-year period which complements our club's length nicely.
Goodreads .
Preview . 176 Pages . 1936 . Russia & Ukraine
Quote:
A masterpiece of black comedy by the author of The Master and Margarita.
When Maxudov's novel fails, he attempts suicide. When that fails, he dramatizes his novel. To Maxudov's surprise - and the resentment of literary Moscow - the play is accepted by the legendary Independent Theater, and Maxudov plunges into a vortex of inflated egos. Each rehearsal sees more and more sparks flying higher and higher, and less and less chance of poor Maxudov's play ever being performed. Black Snow is the ultimate backstage novel, and a masterly satire on Mikhail Bulgakov's ten-year love-hate relationship with Stanislavsky, Method acting, and the Moscow Arts Theater.
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